The Thoughts of a Conservative mind.

A local D.C. television took on the WH over the $277,000 spent annually to keep calligrapher on staff. How did they do this? Simple, they used technology:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WUSA9) — Can you tell the difference between White House invitations crafted by a quarter-million dollar calligraphy staff and the fake one we made using our station computer and printer for pocket change?

When I first saw this I thought for certain it had to be something out of the Onion, but no it is for real. The Postal Service has announced plans to launch a new product line of apparel and accessories. Via the Daily Caller:

The USPS product line will be sold under the brand name “Rain Heat & Snow,” a homage to the service’s unofficial motto, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

USPS signed on with the apparel company Wahconah Group, Inc. to launch the product line, which will start off with men’s apparel and add a women’s line in the future.

“This agreement will put the Postal Service on the cutting edge of functional fashion,” Postal Service corporate licensing manager Steven Mills said in a statement. “The main focus will be to produce Rain Heat & Snow apparel and accessories using technology to create ‘smart apparel’ — also known as wearable electronics.

What could possibly go wrong with this latest plan to fix the postal woes?

(update): Here’s one thought of something that could go wrong. If this clothing line is emblazoned with the USPS Emblem could the clothing not be worn by identity thieves trying to steal mail from mailboxes without suspicion (especially if the clothing line looks anything like a postal workers uniform)?

We all know about all the different bans and regulations that Bloomingidiot has foisted upon New Yorker’s and he isn’t done yet. Today he has announced that he wants to ban styrofoam (say goodbye to your morning cup of Joe) and he wants to reserve 20% of the parking in NYC for electric cars (that will do wonders for businesses and the already hectic parking problems of NYC).

It makes me wonder just what it takes to get New Yorker’s to say enough is enough.

I saw this and nearly laughed out loud. Fox News.com has a story posted about stagnant or lower wages to be expected (no surprise there) that had this little tid bit in it:

While aknowledging an “astounding” number of job losses in February, President Obama told critics of his $787 billion economic recovery plan Friday that it is saving jobs and said, “I know we did the right thing.” He suggested that critics talk to 25 police recruits in Ohio’s capital city who owe their jobs to stimulus spending and “talk to the teachers who are still able to teach our children because we passed this plan.”

I knew it would only be a mater of time till the Libs tide the stimulus into the “it’s for the children” mantra.

Here is more of Obama’s fuzzy math at work:

News that 651,000 jobs were lost in February brings to “an astounding 4.4 million” the number of jobs lost since the recession began, Obama said.

But Obama touted the 114th police recruit class as proof that the stimulus plan, which drew scant Republican support in Congress, is paying dividends.

Now I am no mathematician, but if we have lost 4.4 million jobs since the begging of the recession and he cites the 25 police cadets that have been rehired (the story states that they were laid off in Jan before they could even start patrolling) then according to his own words he still has a net loss of 4,299,975 jobs. Now I know he mentioned teachers too, so lets add in all the teachers who became unemployed last year, which is 185,000. You would still have a net loss of 4,114,975 jobs.

Yet Obama said this stimulus package would create or save between 3 to 4 million.

So President Obama, not only has your stimulus bill not saved or created the 3 to 4 million jobs you claimed it would, but it continues to loose jobs and now will cause wages to go down. Why is this so, because this bill is not and never was a stimulous bill. It was a pork laden product wrapped in a socialistic agenda.

I urge everyone to attend the closest Tax Day Tea party you can and tell these pompus fools running Congress and the White House that we the people still own this country and like our forefathers before us we will stand up for our rights and demnad to heard!!!

USA Today( 23 Feb 2009 page 3a) has a small blurb about how the California Republican Party has voted to reprimand six GOP Lawmakers (three Senators and three Assembly). Theses six broke ranks and choose to vote for a budget which includes tax increases and borrow more money as a way to plug the $42 billion deficit the state is facing.

According to the blurb:

“The measure, which would deny party campaign money to the six, was approved Sunday by delegates at the party’s convention in Sacramento. Supporters, including state party Vice Chairman Jon Fleischman, says it sends a message to politicians that there will be consequences for breaking their no-tax pledge.”

Now if only the National Party would do the same to the three Senators who felt obliged to vote for the porkulous bill.

Obama is about to give a speech to the US Mayors (the ones who’s hands are out wanting our tax money). Updates to follow.

UPDATE: Obama starts out by comparing his community organizing days to being a mayor. Obama mentions his executive order he signed last night for the office of urban affairs (basically it sounds like an new office to make sure that sities follow what Obama wants not what the city may want).

Update: Obama talks about more mass transit, broadband for everyone, more money for education (how is this going to truly stimulate the economy).

Basically it sounds like Obama is talking more about government intrusion in our lives. I think the comment that marks this the most is Obama stating that America will no longer move forward despite the government; instead they will move forward with a helping hand from government. Talk about scarry.

I saw an article today in USA Today (Lead law throttles youth powersports by William M. Welch print edition 17 Feb 09) about a law passed by Congress this past summer (check this link for background info) that went into effect on the 10th of Feb and the unintended consequences it is having on one industry that was actually thriving even with the state of the economy.

Here is what the story says about the law:

“Passed by Congress after a serious of reports concerning toys made in China with lead, the law bans sale of products aimed at children if they contain more than 600 parts per million of lead…”

According to the article,

“…lead is found in steel and other metal alloys in the frame, motor and multiple parts”

So this means that becasue of the lead in the motorcycle parts on off-road bikes and quads the models designed for small children can no longer be sold to them, nor can the repair parts be sold for those models. What kind of an impact does this have? Well for starters, the off road youth industry is a,

“$14.5 billion a year industry including sales, service, parts, accessories and payroll.”

So far, the off road industry has seen a 20% dip in sales due to having to pull the smaller models off the floor and those were the models that sold the best. The article notes that there is an estimated value of $100 million in inventory that can no longer be sold in the US. Not to mention the fact that now that the smaller models can not be sold the fear is that kids will try riding the adult size models which are heavier and harder for a child to handle and end up getting hurt. Which in this day of lawsuits you could just see a parent, who bought the adult size model for little Johnny, suing the manufacturer cause Johnny broke his leg when the bike fell on him.

I think Zack Bartell (age 12) sums it up best when he says,

“Are you kidding? This is silly. There’s no way I’m going to stick a motorcycle part in my mouth.”

And Pelosi, Reid and Obama want us to trust them to “fix” the economy…….